You Can Now Send a Gift of Wine through Facebook Gifts

Last night, Facebook introduced wine as part of its recently launched Gifts program. This is something we’ve been watching closely and as a fulfillment partner for wine, we’re very excited to see the program launch. I’ve placed a few gift orders over the past month or two and have to say that I love the user experience.

First, they offer an opportunity to send a gift in the moment, either when you see a birthday reminder or when you visit a friend’s timeline. Gifts can be given privately or publicly, but it’s the public feature that fascinates me. If I send a gift of Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon, that gift will display on my timeline as well as on the timeline of my gift recipient. The gift is also linked to the Robert Mondavi Winery Facebook page.

The user experience is great because Facebook was able to remove some of the barriers that typically make gift giving difficult. No more digging around for a shipping address. Facebook asks the recipient to enter the address, which is particularly useful for wine gifts, which require an adult signature. The recipient gets an instant preview of the gift, so they know when to expect its arrival and can be home to sign.

Wine is a perfect addition to the Facebook gift lineup, and not surprisingly it was given a category of its own. We’ll be watching enthusiastically as the program is ramped up. Any of our customers who are interested in learning more about the program are encouraged to contact either myself or Andrew Kamphuis for details.